Hari Om!
(The ‘kalabhairava’ temple in Durbar Square, Kathmandu, is a UNESCO world heritage site. The 12ft idol of the deity here is said to have been carved from a single stone some time in 5th-6th century AD.)
Good question.
I see I’ve answered many of your questions in the recent past and that’s primarily because most of your questions explore ideas that can help the collective, irrespective of their planetary placements.
So when it comes to worshipping ‘Tantric’ deities there is a lot of confusion.
That’s because we have usually heard of or seen them being worshipped in almost heinous ways with animal sacrifices, blood baths and evil laughter. Lol
I blame Bollywood for this. Seriously.
Also I think there has been a decline in good ‘Tantric’ practices.
See over the period of the last few centuries, our culture has quickly transformed into a modern society that is still deeply rooted in ancient values.
This is not to say that ‘ancient’ values are ‘outdated’. Nope!
Living in harmony with nature is just as much applicable today as it was 5000 years ago.
Using ‘saadhna’ and ‘tapa’ to improve our lives and raise our vibration through the physical experience is as relevant today as it was 5000 years ago.
People today gravitate more towards fast food and quick fixes than ever before because the time for self discovery and self development is greatly reduced.
This is something that is explained in the ‘Shrimad Bhagawatam’ too.
In the ‘Kali-yuga’, the pressures of upholding even the basic values is so much that even reminiscing the divine power whenever possible is equivalent to ‘saadhna’.
Even so, many believers of Hinduism and the expansive disciplines that fall within the ambit of this philosophy are aware that more power is available through specific practices.
What do they do?
They ‘outsource’ the process to specialists such as ‘tantriks’ and ‘shastrijis’ who do this full time.
As a result of this, they engage in whatever means are available to them to deliver the best solutions to their clients.
These people can practice dark ‘tantra’ or elaborate white rituals as they live somewhat disconnected from the world.
(By no means do I wish to say specialist practitioners are bad, I’m just stating how things usually are.)
What I share with you in my answers is what I have learnt from my teachers and research as DIY tools everyone can use.
There is one rider here however that may be considered a disclaimer.
Which is basically that you need to be very conscious of the energy you are aligning yourself with.
That’s because the only ‘problem’ you might face is that in this change of alignment to take you towards that which you seek.. there will invariably be aspects of the current reality you need to surrender.
- That rider is to be sure we can do an ‘evaluation’ of the individual beforehand. This can involve studying the chart of the native, their nature, asking a few additional questions to enquire about their state of mind and level of sensitivity.
- This helps understand their level of mental toughness and preparedness.
- It’s important to know these things because once you stir up your energy, many things will come up in the same way that stirring a pot of water will also bring up the pebbles and sediment deposits from the bottom, up to the surface.
Now coming back to the ‘Kala bhairava ashtakam’ in question.
- This is a set of 8** hymns in the praise of lord ‘Kala bhairava’, an angry form of Lord Shiva.
- Once again, to clarify: ‘Angry’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘bad’.
- How we interpret his anger is that his anger is directed at ignorance, greed and malice.
- His anger is directed at the obstacles and negative thinking that stand in the path of salvation.
- He is anger is ‘sacred anger’.. the kind of anger that Gandhi felt when he was thrown out of the 1st class compartment of the train he was travelling in.
- It’s the kind of anger that ‘Vishnu’ felt when he saw how his devotee ‘Prahlad’ was being treated.
- It’s the kind of anger that can empower you to shatter all difficulties in the path of attaining what your soul has manifested here to accomplish, to attain!
- This anger is reflective of all three ‘gunas’ of Duty, Desire and Salvation:
- “I have to do this”, “I have to get this” and “I have to release this”.
- Anyone can chant it. By that I mean any one.. irrespective of their gender or age.
- The only thing to be careful of here is that these set of hymns will empower the North node placement in your chart.
- Empower doesn’t mean do ‘good’ things or ‘bad’ things.
- It simply means ‘empower’.
- ‘Awaken’.
- Now this is a 180 degree departure from the usual thought going around today on dealing with the 9 planets in the chart.
- You must have seen most people talk about ‘Shanti’ i.e. to put to ‘Sleep’ or ‘Pacify’.
- They will even charge you massive amounts for that.
Why do I suggest ‘awakening’ the energy of the North node over putting it to ‘sleep’?
- Because this is what the hell you manifested to do in this physical body!
If you are not going to move towards that which your soul manifested to experience in this lifetime.. why did you come down here?
What did you come down here for?
To eat potato chips, watch Netlflix on your couch with the AC on, lounging around in your Zara jeans?
Really?
That is what’s keeping you caught up in the cycle of death and rebirth?
Getting lost in the illusion of the material plane?
Really?
No.
- You were given this physical vehicle of progress after extensive scouting and waiting on part of your Mind, Ego, Intellect and the soul respectively.
- That is the direction you are meant to take to experience the highest bliss possible for yourself in this lifetime.
Tell me something, if you are lost in a foreign city, what do you need?
A map to show the way?
Or a motel room with AC and room service that you can’t leave?
You might need to rest from time to time but ultimate happiness will come from reaching your destination.
- That’s what ‘tantra’ is.
- It is the map.
- It is a way of manipulating the energy of the physical body to awaken you to the level of congruence possible between your soul’s desire and the body’s capability.
- So you can start chanting or practicing any ‘mantra’ but after reasonable guidance on what to expect and how to practice it.
Let me give you another quick example.
If you feel insecure about being bullied or mugged on the way to your place of work and back.. what should you do?
Should you quit that place of work and shift to a different location?
Or should you work out, carry a pepper spray, learn some self defense and become stronger?
I know a lot of people will say but why ‘engage’?
Because the current uncomfortable experience is a ‘symptom’, not the problem.
The ‘problem’ is you are weak.
As long as you remain weak there will be insecurity and fear.
The way of ‘tantra’ is to fix this weakness.
Why you need a guide in this process is to ensure you don’t overdo it and pace yourself.
What’s going to happen if you attempt deadlifting 100 kgs the first month in the gym?
Anything from a hamstring pull to slip disc or even death.
Does that mean ‘working out’ was wrong?
No.
It means you were impatient and naive.
What if you continue to workout but smoke, drink and don’t get enough rest?
Working out will harm you of course or it just won’t have any effect.
It’s the same thing with ‘tantra’.
- Pace yourself
- Get guidance
- Remain ‘saatvic’ as much as possible especially before chanting or listening/practicing the process.
- Why is this is so important?
- Because in the same way that you don’t smoke right before a gym session if you are seeking the optimum experience, you try to be as ‘saatvic’ as possible to ensure a healthy movement of energy for the optimum impact.
- Supplement it with other helpful practices like Yoga and meditation.
- Be patient.
- Learn through your experiences.
I hope this helps.
Hari Om!
** The core versea in praise of the ‘kalabhairava’ are 8. However the ‘ashtakam’ you chant has an additional verse signifying the importance of the preceeding 8 verses.
